Church decline related to severing Jewish roots

Dr Clifford Denton reviews ‘Presenting Jesus the Son of Israel’ by Rivi Litvin (Milestones International Publishers, 2017).

Raised in an Orthodox Jewish community, Rivi Litvin was shocked upon coming to faith in Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus the Messiah) to discover that many Christians believe that God has now rejected Israel and replaced her with the Church.

With access to sources of Rabbinic Judaism as well as the opportunity to consult with the most prominent scholars, she and her husband Danny began a quest to help others understand Yeshua in the context of God’s purposes for Israel.

After her husband’s sudden death in 1986, Litvin (a third-generation Israeli) continued with this work in Israel before later relocating to the USA, keeping her home in Migdal, Galilee, as a base for teaching.

She now has a worldwide itinerant ministry helping believers to recover the true roots of the Christian faith.

Israeli Rivi Litvin was shocked, upon coming to faith in Jesus, to discover that many Christians believe that God has replaced Israel with the Church.

Multitude of Insights

At last Litvin has found time to put her multitude of insights into a series of books, of which this is the first volume. She could have taken a thematic approach, applying her Hebraic knowledge to topics like the biblical feasts, the Sermon on the Mount and so on – but instead, she has chosen to write a commentary on the Gospels.

Inside this first volume, the reader will discover insights from Hebraic and historical sources that shed new light on what we read in the Gospel accounts, including the answers to questions such as:

• What happened historically that caused the world to see Jesus as a son of Greece instead of an observant Jew?
  
• Who were the mysterious shepherds present at his birth?
  
• Were the wise men really Babylonian sorcerers - and how did they recognise the birth of the King of the Jews?
  
• Why are the Gospels so silent regarding Jesus’ Jewish education?

Divided into two main sections, the first covers the early life of Yeshua, while the second focuses on Yochanan Ha-Matbil (John the Baptist). In addition there are two appendices, one on the Tzadokim (Sadducees) and one on the Perushim (Pharisees).

Litvin’s choice of title is apt. In presenting Jesus specifically as the Son of Israel, extra light is shed on the Gospel accounts. Litvin also includes useful word analyses throughout the book, allowing those with limited knowledge of Greek or Hebrew to understand what is often missed in English translations.

The reader will discover insights from Hebraic and historical sources that shed new light on what we read in the Gospel accounts.

Highly Recommended

I highly recommend this book for those already some way on with their studies of the Hebraic foundations of the faith. For those who are just beginning, it is recommended with some qualifications. Litvin’s breadth of reading and depth of knowledge are welcome – but newcomers to such studies may well be daunted by some of the conclusions she draws. While some are enlightening, others contrast those of other reputable scholars and may not sit well.

She also seems at times to call into question the accuracy of the gospel writers in places where the biblical text is seemingly at odds with other Jewish literature. Her strong desire to consider other rabbinic sources means that a mature and discerning mind on the part of the reader is required.

That said, this book is surely a major resource for the Christian Church to reconnect with the Jewish roots of the faith and the continuity of God’s covenant plan.

‘Presenting Jesus the Son of Israel: A Jewish Commentary on the Gospels, Volume 1’ (paperback, 237pp) is available on Amazon for £12.90. Also on Kindle.

Paul Luckraft interviews author Steve Maltz about his latest book, ‘Shalom’.

Over the years, I have reviewed most of Steve’s books for Prophecy Today and in the past I interviewed him to find out what motivated him to go on writing. “I was born to write, that is my gift” was his reply, and it would seem that with Shalom, his 25^th book, that gift is still in full flow. But a valid question remains: why another book? And why this particular book?

Steve admits to being on a personal journey and that writing books is his way of continuing that journey. As he explains in the preface of Shalom, “every book is a personal odyssey and a time of great learning” (p9). Pressing him further on this, he added that “I always write what is on my heart and each time I finish a book I think the journey may have ended, but so far it hasn’t.”

The journey actually started when he was crossing London Bridge ten years ago and God began to show him how the Church had lost ‘the Way’ by detaching itself from its Hebraic roots. Many books later, Shalom brings that vision into greater focus.

Its theme is an exploration of what Paul in Ephesians calls the ‘One New Man’ (Eph 2:15). If the Church is ever to recover what it lost in the past and achieve God’s shalom, God’s peace, it will need to embrace the truth that Christ has broken down the barrier of hostility between Jew and Gentile and that Gentiles are Gospel heirs together with Israel: members together of one Body, sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus (Eph 3:6). Steve’s argument is that embracing this truth will bring renewal to the Church, individually and corporately.

Searching for Answers

As such, Steve isn’t just writing for his own benefit. He believes others are asking the same questions that God has put on his heart, and seeking the same answers. This was dramatically illustrated just an hour or so before meeting up with me in London.

If the Church is ever to recover God’s shalom, God’s peace, it will need to embrace the truth that Christ has broken down the barrier of hostility between Jew and Gentile.

Prior to our interview, Steve visited a major London bookshop to introduce his new book and drop off a couple of copies. While talking to the staff there one of the customers overheard him explaining the book and suddenly burst into tears! “This is just what I’ve been looking for!” she explained. And then added that she had been on a train on the Underground when God had told her to get off at that station and go to the bookshop there. She had no idea why at the time, but clearly God knew what she needed!

Just like this lady in the bookshop, readers new to Steve’s books can start with Shalom without having to read all that has gone before. Each of his books stands alone and usually contains several quotes or references to previous ones. To this end, the first part of Shalom takes us back over how the Church lost the Way, the Truth and the Life by severing ourselves from Israel and our Hebraic roots. Here, Steve explains the problems in the Church that show our need for God’s shalom, found only in Messiah Yeshua (Jesus).

After a short second part on ‘The Shalom of Salvation’, in the third part we are reminded how the key to recovering the Hebraic nature of the Christian faith is function, not form. In other words, it’s about discovering and developing our roles and callings – who we are and what we do - rather than about offices and structures; it’s about being and doing ‘church’ rather than church as an institution or set of rituals. This is a significant theme in his previous books.

After this comes Part Four, which is devoted to exploring what shalom means when it comes to the Church and the idea of the One New Man. It should be stressed that just because the title is ‘Shalom’, the book is not merely a study on this particular word. Rather, as the subtitle emphasises, here we discover ‘God’s Masterplan’ for oneness or completeness, which Steve unpacks through seven other Hebrew words (simcha, chaim, kadosh, chesed, mishpocha, limmud, berakhot). Through these we can reverse all the Greek thinking that has dominated Church life since the 2^nd Century and undo the unbiblical practices introduced by Constantine and others.

In short, Steve asks the big question: what would the Church look like if there had been no influence from Greek philosophy or Roman emperors? Through these Hebraic concepts the answer starts to emerge. The next big question is, who will be brave enough to try it the Hebraic way?!

Steve believes that others are asking the same questions that God has put on his heart, and seeking the same answers.

Joyous Conclusion

The final part of the book came as a surprise, even to Steve. “Here’s a chapter I never intended to write because it references a series of events that came after the writing of the first draft of this book” (p215). At the ‘Foundations 10’ Hebraic conference in Devon, Steve saw Hebraic church come alive, in practice – ‘it happened in Devon!’ is the joyous conclusion to the book.

Shalom is being launched this weekend at the 'Foundations 11' conference, being held at The Hayes in Swanwick. The conference is appropriately entitled ‘One New Man’ and will continue to explore the theme further through teaching and discussion.

That walk over London Bridge many years ago has certainly borne a lot of fruit. Is the journey reaching a conclusion? I doubt it. The next book, and 'Foundations 12', are already being planned!

‘Shalom’ (234 pages, paperback) is available from Saffron Planet Publishing for £10.

Paul Luckraft reviews ‘The Jewish Jesus’ by David Hoffbrand (Destiny Image, 2017).

There are now many books on the theme of the Jewishness of Jesus, but it is always interesting to come across another one and see if it provides anything extra to make it a worthwhile investment in time and money.

This relatively new book from David Hoffbrand, a Messianic Jew with a remarkable testimony, certainly does come into that category with a clear and significant contribution in the area of reconnecting Jew and Gentile in what is known as the One New Man (Eph 2:15).

Even though a lot of the content is familiar, Hoffbrand’s book comes across as fresh and incisive. He is a gifted communicator and has constructed his book neatly into three parts each with six chapters. The aim of the three sections is indicated by the subtitle: reconnecting with the truth about Jesus, Israel and the Church. It is in the third part that he provides that extra dimension on implications for the Church.

Changing Our Thinking

Part 1 focuses on Jesus himself and his Jewishness, including chapters on ‘Jesus the Man’, ‘The Ministry of Jesus’, and the Jewish disciples. The author wants us to meet Jesus as he really was, and as he (the author) now knows him. He sets about uncovering what has always been there from the start but which has been lost over the centuries.

Hoffbrand has come up with a neat way of describing what needs to happen when we turn to the Bible. We should REWIRE our brains, by which he means ‘Read Without Religion’ (take the first two letters of each word). This doesn’t mean forsaking sound doctrine, but means we must “read the Bible as if we hadn’t read it before – to remove the lens of our traditions, which causes us to skip past so many passages without seeing the details” (p14).

David Hoffbrand, a Messianic Jew with a remarkable testimony, is a gifted communicator whose writing is fresh and incisive.

Realising that Jesus was Jewish should change the way we think about Jews today and also about Israel. Part 2 tackles this issue, explaining how God has chosen Israel in the past and still loves her today. Church tradition may tell us God has finished with Israel, that he has moved on, but clearly this is not true. Hoffbrand examines the common fallacies that God has no further plans for the Jewish people and that he would rather punish them than restore them.

Practical Questions for the Church

Part 3 is where we learn about what this should all mean for the Church. The author shared with me that this part of the book was born out of his trips to the Ukraine with his friend Piers Arthur-Crow. Hoffbrand is a trustee of The David House that Piers runs and so was invited to go with him and speak to groups of Messianic rabbis and Christian pastors at their conferences. Here, Hoffbrand found that his message started to crystallise.

What had concerned him before was that while teaching on the Jewishness of Jesus was one thing, working it out in practice was quite another. How does it become real? The answer is found when Jew and Gentile come together as One New Man – a new community in Messiah.

In the first chapter in Part 3, Hoffbrand asks three key questions: What should this new community look like? How do the two people groups live together harmoniously? What principles can we learn from this process? He then seeks answers from Paul’s letter to the Romans, establishing five principles: humility, acceptance, identity, unity, service, and taking a chapter on each.

Realising that Jesus was Jewish should change the way we think about Jews today and about Israel – and it should affect the way we live, too.

Five Principles

Humility is a vital starting point. Neither Jew nor Gentile can boast about what they have. God has accepted each through what he has done in Christ, which should humble everyone and lead to mutual acceptance.

For each group to find their identity in the One New Man may be something of a mystery, but one which has now been revealed in Christ and which can be worked out, rather like a husband and wife within a marriage. Jew and Gentile remain distinct but find a unity in their common Saviour, who has broken down the middle wall of hostility that previously separated them. Now this barrier has been removed, both groups must make sure it isn’t rebuilt, whether in mind, heart or action.

The final principle which ties all these together is that of serving each other. This is more than tolerating or even understanding each other, connoting walking together and looking out for each other. Gentiles may often support Jews through various organisations and charities, but this can often still be at a distance rather than side by side. And do Messianic Jews actually find ways of loving and serving their Gentile brothers and sisters?

Worthwhile Contribution

These are all important challenges for the future as God continues to restore Hebraic roots to his Church and bring more Jewish people into a relationship with their Messiah. This book is a worthwhile contribution to this objective.

As Hoffbrand says clearly, “The Jewish people were not an accident that God would rather forget. The Gentile people are not second best or an afterthought. Together, this new community must be better, not worse, than what has come before” (p156).

‘The Jewish Jesus’ (paperback, 220 pages) is available from the author’s website for £10. Also available elsewhere online. Click here to watch the author’s testimony in an interview with Jewish Voice.

We must return to our roots – Labour PM Harold Wilson was devoted to the Jewish cause

I confess that the article I am about to write was initially intended only to address the important issue of roots – both of Christianity and of Western civilisation as a whole.

But I have been somewhat diverted along a different route, which I shall explain. So stay with me as I will eventually return to the roots of my story.

Labour’s History

In looking up a verse from Isaiah, where he refers to the “root of Jesse” (one of many prophecies of the coming Messiah, Jesus), I was reminded¹ of the fact that former British Prime Minister Harold Wilson had made much of a text from this passage in support of his Zionist views, spelt out in his book The Chariot of Israel² and clearly inspired by his strong Christian faith (I am reliably informed that both Harold and his wife Mary were Bible-believing Congregationalists, to which he also owed his brand of Christian socialism).

The text in question, Isaiah 11:11, refers to a second return of Jewish exiles,³ which trumps the notion that such prophecies were all fulfilled with the return from Babylon so that modern Israel has no right to their ancient land today.

I believe this is very significant in light of the ongoing controversy over rising anti-Semitism within the Labour Party, of which Wilson was a long-time leader and the only occupant of No. 10 Downing Street to have won four general elections.

By contrast, current Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has openly embraced those who wish to destroy Israel.

Current Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has openly embraced those who wish to destroy Israel.

Our Godly Heritage

Writing for the Jewish Chronicle on the 50^th anniversary of Wilson’s first election victory,⁴ Robert Philpot dubbed him “the forgotten friend of Israel” who sprang to her aid in 1967 and 1973 and whose first overseas visit after leaving office in 1976 was to Israel, where he received an honorary doctorate and inspected a forest near Nazareth that had been named after him!

In Parliament he described the Jewish state “by any test…the only democracy in [the] region” and his book was described by his Home Secretary and Chancellor of the Exchequer Roy Jenkins as “one of the most strongly Zionist tracts ever written by a non-Jew”.

Tragically, however, his devotion to the cause of Israel contrasts sharply with today’s Labour left from whose ranks he originally hailed.⁵

Which takes me back to my starting point, for the survival of our Judeo-Christian civilisation will depend entirely on whether we remain connected to our biblical roots. If we cut ourselves off from our godly heritage, the ‘sap’ that gives us life, direction and purpose will no longer flow, with the result that our culture will wither and die like a tree pulled from the ground.

Gentiles Grafted In

Though some of the UK has just been blanketed in snow, nevertheless it’s that time of year when we begin to witness the shoots that produce flowers like snowdrops, crocuses and daffodils pointing the way to another springtime. These beauties come from roots (or bulbs) buried in the ground for many months.

Christianity was the new spring in the purposes of God that emerged from the roots of Judaism. According to St Paul’s letter to the Roman Christians, who had to be reminded that God was not finished with his chosen people, Gentile believers “now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root [of Israel]…You do not support the root, but the root supports you,” he thundered (Rom 11:17f).

If we cut ourselves off from our godly roots, the ‘sap’ that gives us life, direction and purpose will no longer flow, and our culture will wither and die like a tree pulled from the ground.

This should encourage us to put our trust squarely in the God of Israel, and his Son, the Jewish Messiah, Jesus, “the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David” (Rev 5:5), also prophesied by Isaiah as “the root of Jesse” (Isa 11:10) who will draw the nations (Gentiles) to himself.

In this respect it is also significant that there is a strain of Gentile ‘blood’⁶ in Jesus, through his ancestor Ruth, the Moabitess, King David’s great-grandmother, a wonderful woman of virtue who threw in her lot with her Jewish mother-in-law Naomi.

Spring is Coming

Still on this theme, Isaiah’s discussion of roots is related to a springtime for the nation of Israel that surely speaks of today, with its reference to a second return from exile, this time not just from Babylon but “from the four quarters of the earth” (Isa 11:11f) including “the islands of the sea” considered by some theologians to refer to the British Isles.

This passage also speaks of a coming millennial age of perfect peace when “the wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together…They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Isa 11:6, 9).

As for Israel, the Lord speaks emphatically of final restoration through the Prophet Amos, concluding with the words: “I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted…” (Amos 9:15).

References

1 See Defending Christian Zionism by David Pawson (Terra Nova Publications, 2008), p104.

2 Ibid.

3 The text begins: “In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the remnant that is left of his people…”

4 Wilson, true friend of Israel. The Jewish Chronicle, 27 October 2014.

5 It is only fair to record that after chairing the debate in Parliament to mark Holocaust Memorial Day (January 27), my own MP, Dame Rosie Winterton (Labour, Doncaster Central) said: “It is shocking that many British Jews are considering leaving this country…We must support those in our community who feel threatened. This means tackling and condemning anti-Semitism wherever we find it, including in the Labour Party.”

6 Obviously not actual blood, as Jesus was born of the Holy Spirit through the virgin Mary, though certainly ancestral as Jewish genealogy would confirm.

That would be a strange greeting at this time of the year, wouldn't it! But if we are not careful, as Christians this could be the impression we give. There are a couple of possible reasons for a Christian to be against celebrating Christmas.

One reason is the way that worldliness has taken over. The airwaves, whilst being filled with carols that convey wonderful truths about the birth of the Saviour of the world, have become (to many people) like the masterpiece that has blended with the wallpaper on the wall where it is hung: no more than a pleasant backdrop - background music to the shopping spree.

A second reason is that many Christians have retraced their theological steps to the Jewish roots of the faith and have found that Christmas never was a biblical feast, but a remodelling of a pagan festival of winter solstice worship of the sun (not the Son!). A natural consequence of this would seem to be, as in our day, an eventual reversion to these pagan roots – something Christians understandably want to avoid.

Bygone Blessings

I have been among the foremost of those who have highlighted the importance of returning to our Jewish roots, focussing our celebrations on the biblical timetable in step with the Jewish world and thereby not partaking in an unscriptural religion.

Yet I also come from the generation who were children in the post-war years, brought up in a nation where Christmas did centralise the birth of Jesus. Children today would not easily understand how our families and communities those years ago focussed their thoughts more on the Nativity than on the TV, the food and the presents.

There are a couple of possible reasons for a Christian to be against celebrating Christmas.

Yes, we had presents and yes, we had a celebratory festive meal (the one and only time in the year when our family had a chicken lunch!) and some treats to follow - but just a few presents and many of us made our own decorations. When we broke up from school for the holidays, it was with the Bible passages describing the birth of Jesus in our mind, strengthened by the words of the carols we sang. We had the clear sense that the blessings of our family times were a consequence of our celebration of Jesus' birth – we weren’t thinking about the winter solstice and pagan worship. Our national culture had grown to have a different emphasis.

One cannot ignore such rich blessings from the Lord. But neither can one deny that Jesus was not born on 25 December, that the wise men did not visit him on the same day as the shepherds, and all the other myriad mistakes that are made with the ‘Christmas story’. So how do we approach Christmas this year, whilst working (in God's timing, which may be different from ours) to take the worldliness out of our celebrations and relocate them rightly on the biblical calendar?

Positive Changes

My personal answer is to ensure that any adjustments made to our celebrations are made in a positive way, in recognition of what Jesus has done. We do no good in our Christian witness to give a negative message to the world. There is still plenty of opportunity for our Christian witness at Christmas to have a positive effect on many people around us.

My own approach is - in moderation, and remembering past blessings - to still enjoy many of the carols, to wish my friends a happy (not necessarily merry!) Christmas, and to remember that although the Lord told us to remember his death until he comes, he was born as a human being - something to celebrate on any day of the year.

My personal answer is to ensure that any changes to our celebrations are made in a positive way.

Meanwhile, I believe that the Lord is reminding us of his design of the yearly cycle of the Feasts (the three main ones being Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot) so that in time we will re-calibrate our years in step with these rhythms. But in his time. I believe we will have readjusted to this before Jesus returns, but to force the pace would be wrong and may even take away from the beauty and significance of these Feasts.

Remember what Paul taught in Romans 14:5, Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. Some will get there quicker than others, but let us be patient and persuasive rather than judgmental. And in these days of transition, let us still seek to bless our friends by saying, ‘Have a happy Christmas’ - and really mean it.

Paul Luckraft reviews ‘The Forgotten Jesus’ by Robby Gallaty (Zondervan, 2017).

The author’s main contention in writing this book is that our understanding of Jesus has been shaped by many different cultural influences and that Christians today, especially in the West, are largely ignorant of the fact that Jesus was a Jewish man living in a Jewish world and observing Jewish customs.

Gallaty aims to help us rediscover this forgotten Jesus and to be able to place what he said and did within a more meaningful context.

High Definition

For the author, entering the Jewish world of Jesus is like getting high definition television. Once you view the gospels in this way, the extra clarity and precision means you can’t go back! Nothing is more exciting than “the experience of learning to apply a Hebraic hermeneutic to the Bible” (p23).

But this is not just a matter of information and insight, valuable though that is. The book builds up towards a key question – which Jesus will you choose? Furthermore, by seeing Jesus as the disciples did, we can better appreciate (and perhaps begin to emulate) the “revolution that would eventually transcend the sprawling Roman Empire and change the world” (p202).

Easy to Read

The book is easy to read and contains nine chapters. The first three provide a foundational look at the 1^st Century world in which Jesus lived. In particular, it illustrates the difference between Western (Greek) thinking and a Middle Eastern (Hebraic) mindset, as well as connecting Jesus with prominent Old Testament figures such as Abraham, Joseph and Moses, and providing some information on the centuries between the Testaments.

In the central three chapters, Gallaty sheds light on Jesus’ upbringing and early life, and explores the connections between his ministry and what was commonly known by those who heard him teach.

The final three chapters explain the Messiahship of Jesus and how he was ultimately rejected and sentenced to death. His final days contain many intriguing elements usually lost on traditional Christian teaching but which can be illuminated by a new Hebraic perspective.

For the author, entering the Jewish world of Jesus is like getting high definition television. Once you view the gospels in this way, the extra clarity and precision means you can’t go back!

Why This Book?

There are now many books helping us understand the Jewishness of Jesus, so why buy this one? Overall Gallaty has put together a very full compilation of such treasures. He acknowledges that he has drawn on many sources and that much of what he says can be found elsewhere. However, he has packed a huge amount into a relatively short book without being too concise or patchy.

He is also aware that the Jewish Roots movement has produced much that is based upon conjecture and speculation - perhaps following the thrill of the new rather than giving it sufficient scrutiny. Gallaty asserts that we “cannot just take what we read and hear as if it is verifiably true” (p203), but need to exercise discernment.

In this Gallary is successful. Clearly he has treated his sources with caution and produced a book that can be trusted: not only to affirm what is written of elsewhere, but also to add some extra thought-provoking gems. What did Peter actually hear when the cock crowed? What were those swaddling clothes really like, and why were they readily available and appropriate? And when Jesus quoted the first line of Psalm 22, was he intending us to understand even more than just the agony of his forsakenness?

The books ends with recommended resources (books and websites), a 260-day Bible reading plan and good endnotes. It does not, however, include an index, which would have been useful for those wanting to treat the book as a resource in its own right rather than a one-time read.

Overall this is a worthwhile addition to any collection of books on the Hebraic background to Jesus and the gospels.

‘The Forgotten Jesus: How Western Christians Should Follow an Eastern Rabbi’ (224pp, paperback) is available from Amazon for £9.99. Also available on Kindle and as an audiobook. Find out more on the book’s website.

Robby Gallaty is Senior Pastor at Long Hollow Baptist Church in Hendersonville, Tennessee.

Paul Luckraft reviews the Tree of Life version of Scripture (Baker Publishing/Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society, 2015).

The Tree of Life Version of the Holy Scriptures is well worth investigating and then investing in. There are several versions of the Bible available now which attempt to recapture something of the original Jewish authenticity - so what makes this different?

Its main selling point is the claim that this is a brand new translation produced by both Messianic Jewish and Christian scholars. This, the publishers say, makes it the first of its kind, and by incorporating the translational skills of Messianic Jews it highlights the rich Hebraic roots of the Christian faith to a greater extent. And by working together as One New Man, they believe they have provided a Bible for a new era.

A Jewish-Friendly Voice

The translators have gone back to the original Hebrew (Masoretic Text) for the Old Testament and the original Greek (the 27^th Nestle-Aland Novum Testamente Graece) for the New. Naturally they have preserved the original Jewish order of the books of the Old Testament (Tanakh) and have also used transliterated terms such as shalom, shofar, Shabbat, and the Jewish name of the Messiah, Yeshua.

This is a brand new translation produced by both Messianic Jewish and Christian scholars working together as One New Man.

The translation project was headed up by Jeffrey Seir, a professor of Bible and Jewish Studies at Kings University, USA, who served as the Project Manager and Chief Theologian. A full list of the translators is available on their website.

Their aim is to provide a version that speaks with a decidedly Jewish-friendly voice, a voice like the Bible authors themselves, and to show the connections between the covenants God made with his ancient people and those now grafted in through the new covenant with Yeshua.

Versions and Resources

In addition to the full Biblical text there are some useful extras, including a week Torah reading programme and some Jewish prayers and blessings in Hebrew, transliterated Hebrew and English.

There is also a short glossary and a couple of maps. Don’t expect too many extras, this is not a study Bible as such but a new version to be read in order to gain fresh insights from the text itself.

One aim is to show the connections between the covenants God made with his ancient people and those now grafted in through the new covenant with Yeshua.

Produced by the Baker Publishing Group in partnership with the Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society, the Tree of Life Version can be ordered online at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, ChristianBook.com and various other websites and stores. It is available in several formats, from the cheaper Thinline Edition (if you don’t mind very thin pages!), produced in both softback and hardback forms, to the more expensive imitation leather covers. It is also available on Kindle.

Find out more about the Tree of Life version on its official website (US), which also houses relevant articles and resources.

How do we re-think 'church' in the light of our Hebraic roots?

Last week we considered how Christianity is a communal faith as well as an individual walk with God, and looked at how the Christian Church over the centuries has detached itself from Hebraic ideas of communal living.

This week, we offer some suggestions for re-discovering these ideas, all within a framework of respecting God’s design for local church authority.

Transforming from Within

A mistake made by many of us who are zealous to restore the Hebraic heritage of the Christian Church is to consider nothing of value in existing fellowships. Yet, many fellowships are strong in the Holy Spirit, strong in Bible study and prayer, build up the faith of individuals and families, practise baptism, centre on the Lord’s Supper and understand God’s purposes for Israel.

It takes a prophetic word to open people’s eyes of understanding to any (perhaps minor) changes that would strengthen links to the First Century Church – maybe linking with Messianic communities or allowing the Lord to prune away any dry traditions. It is up to the elders of these local church communities to begin to pray for change from within.

Respecting Authority in the Local Community

In his dealings with the religious leaders of his day, Yeshua taught that it is right to acknowledge authority given by God to teach and interpret Torah (Matt 23:3). In our day it is the same. Those of us who have insights into matters of restoration cannot impose our wills and over-ride the authority of local Christian communities.

We must also be careful about starting new ventures that draw believers away to new congregations, however well-meant our intentions. All must be of the Lord’s leading.

A mistake made by many of us who are zealous to restore the Church’s Hebraic heritage is to consider nothing of value in existing fellowships.

If the Lord himself chooses to take authority away from some Church leaders (Rom 11:21) he alone can do it. Thus any restoration of Hebraic foundations of the Church must be through existing authority structures. In considering this, the responsibility of Bible teachers must be considered seriously (James 3:1).

If some of us are called to start again and form new communities, we must be careful of our witness to others. How will we be perceived? Going overboard into Jewishness does not usually help, but we will surely be helpful to others if we are in good balance regarding Israel and seen as a caring community, building families and clearly fulfilling a biblical lifestyle.

We should also be discovering what it means to provoke Israel to jealousy, not anger (Rom 11:14, 18).

Lessons from the Synagogue?

The development of the Synagogue as a place of meeting in the local community is not prescribed biblically. It was in response to a need in local communities, especially after the loss of the Temple. There is a risk, therefore, of over-stating how far Christian communities should draw community models from the Synagogue.

Nevertheless, there may be lessons to learn especially since, through the Synagogue, Jewish communities have found collective strength.

Any restoration of Hebraic foundations of the Church must respect existing authority structures.

Synagogues perform several functions. They are a social centre as well as a worship centre. They illustrate the importance of the local community, especially in strengthening families. The Synagogue is a Beit Tefillah (House of Prayer). They also have an excellent educational model based on the Beit Midrash (House of Study), illustrating how study can be brought into the centre of the local Christian community.

Study is central to building up the local community based on the idea of searching the Scriptures and the Yeshiva, rather than the more academic approach of many Christian Bible schools.

Some Bible teachers might consider studying and teaching Hebrew, the foundational language of Scripture. Are we students of the entire Bible in balance? Do we know how to study the New Covenant in relationship with the Old Covenant, valuing all of biblical history and revelation fulfilled and properly interpreted through the sacrificial death of Yeshua HaMashiach?

The Feasts of the Lord

Christian communities adopted a form of the three main Feasts of the Lord (Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot became Easter, Pentecost and Harvest festivals) but dates changed and some syncretism to pagan and Roman traditions entered in, which is becoming more and more a concern as the years go by. These Feasts, and the Sabbath, are all to be focussed on Yeshua.

Nevertheless, Yeshua brought fulfilment, not replacement. Within the authority structure of local Churches, are we entering the season when Christian festivals should be re-aligned with their biblical roots? One word of warning: it is no use forcing the pace on this because this can result in no spiritual life, despite our best efforts. The principal of Romans 14:5 is paramount in all things – “everyone must be convinced in their own mind.”

Are we entering the season when Christian festivals should be re-aligned with their biblical roots?

Torah and Halakhah

We have considered these things in relation to a personal walk with God. When it comes to family and community there are some issues that must be decided for the group as a whole.

Decisions as to which day to meet for corporate worship, for example, require an authoritative decision for the entire community. How to balance personal freedom to walk with God with corporate structure is a matter for much sensitivity. Authority in the local community is a necessary thing, and centralised control from outside the local community should be treated with caution.

We have discussed the way Torah is a matter of the heart and we are not to bring ourselves into bondage to ritual or put ourselves under the yoke of the law (i.e. ritual halakhah) (Gal 2:4, 3:10-14). Nevertheless, we are wise to recognise the protection that laws founded on the Bible have brought, even to nations. Outside of faith in Yeshua and the life of the Spirit, we must be able to interpret the Bible into community and national life.

The Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15) and the letter sent to the new congregations of the day can be a new starting point for us to re-consider how the worldwide community of faith was intended to spread and grow, and for finding the balance of halakhah and Torah for the New Covenant community.

It is no use forcing the pace on the communal rediscovery of our Hebraic roots, because this will not result in spiritual life, despite our best efforts.

Prayer for Israel

A key result of our return to a balanced Hebraic lifestyle is an understanding of God’s continuing covenant promises to Israel as a whole.

We must be careful to understand that our New Covenant relationship is with Messianic Jews who live by faith in Yeshua. But nevertheless, in balance, our prayers and concern are also to understand what God is still doing in Israel. This will also help us to understand the times in which we live as the entire world moves towards its prophetic conclusion.

Personal Testimony from Zimbabwe

The above may be a limited list of points for consideration in strengthening our communities for the times ahead. There is considerable room for taking counsel together over the coming days.

I would like to end with a word of testimony. Some years ago a group of us brought together a conference in Israel to look afresh at Acts 15. This had a limited success in raising key issues, though now I believe this discussion needs to take place more in local communities than I had previously thought, lest we create yet another central organisation.

Some months prior to the meeting in a Moshav on the outskirts of Jerusalem we held a preliminary consultation in Zimbabwe, drawing together representatives from a number of African countries.

At the end of the last day of this meeting we set ourselves the task, using a white-board, to draw up a list of relevant topics for consideration in our communities. The list went on - the details are not clear in my memory so much as what happened during this time of consultation.

A key result of our return to a balanced Hebraic lifestyle is an understanding of God’s continuing covenant promises to Israel as a whole.

It was perhaps simply the activity of beginning to consider the many issues together that pleased the Lord. Intercessory prayer had supported us throughout our meeting and perhaps this too pleased the Lord. Quite unexpectedly, as our long list was being compiled, the Holy Spirit chose to fill the room and bring a holy stillness. Some said they had never before experienced the presence of the Lord in that way through many years of ministry. We came out with no formula to pass on to others concerning how to restore the Hebraic foundations of our faith in local communities, but certainly we had the assurance that what we were doing was pleasing to the Lord.

It is surely time for Christians fellowships to take seriously the fact that this is the Lord’s time for restoration. Some may force the pace, and come out with something looking more traditionally Jewish than biblically Hebraic, but that should not stop us from seeking the Lord for ourselves on this matter. I think there will be quite a change in the next few years but nevertheless, this should happen in a gradual, prayerful, Spirit-guided way.

Next time: Guard against deception

Building the Sozo vision.

Last week we introduced Marion Daniels and the fledgling healing ministry God gave her, now known as Sozo Ministries International. The story continues…

God never wants his ministries to stand still or stagnate, and at Sozo Ministries International there was to be a dramatic transformation that would set it on a new path to a bigger future. For nearly 30 years they had ministered healing, deliverance and wholeness through Jesus Messiah.

During that time the Lord had given them a sincere love and respect for the Jewish Scriptures. For instance, teaching the benefits of the food laws in Leviticus and keeping a Sabbath had featured highly in their programme of instruction. But the overall impact of the Jewish roots of Christianity was missing until one highly significant day in 2006, when a Jewish lady sought Marion Daniel’s help.

Deliverance from Replacement Theology

During the prayer ministry it was revealed to Marion that what this lady was struggling with personally had a strong connection to her Jewishness, including to what the Jewish race as a whole has suffered from Gentiles over the centuries. Marion began to minister under the Holy Spirit from Romans 11 but as she did so she realised how much this was all new to her. God was using this ministry opportunity to minister to Marion also!

God began to open Marion’s eyes to what his ancient people had suffered in the past from many sections of the Christian Church and how a new freedom was needed here. She also realised how ignorant she was of the Hebraic roots of Christianity. Here was a real shock. How had the Church missed this?

God began to open Marion’s eyes to what his ancient people had suffered from many sections of the Christian Church.

Clearly a reassessment was needed, and so Marion began to explore this further through books and conferences, especially material by Derek Prince. She began to realise that her own ministry and that of Sozo had to take this seriously. The deliverers needed deliverance! The only way to renounce the effects of centuries of Replacement Theology was through full repentance. This also came about in a remarkable way.

Jewish Roots Ministry

The initial contact with the Jewish lady had opened their hearts to tentatively minister to others with a Jewish background and the first Jewish Roots Ministry Conference was planned. As their website testifies:

On that day, not only did the Lord minster to Jews but he also began to deliver the rest of us Gentiles from our anti-Semitic past. A deep conviction came upon us and we began to seriously investigate the Hebraic roots of our Christian faith. We discovered how the Church had deliberately severed these roots in the 3rd and 4th centuries and came face to face with the shameful history of Christian anti-Semitism and Britain’s own betrayal of the Jewish people during our administration of Palestine between the First and Second World Wars.

With repentance came the slow process of deliverance from Replacement Theology, which teaches the error that the church has replaced the Jews as God’s chosen people. As we grow the scriptures are coming alive in a new way as we lay aside our Greek mindset and allow the Holy Spirit to renew our minds to once more think biblically like Hebrews. The transformation has not always been easy. But it has been worth it. It has been a joyous homecoming to once again embrace our Jewish Messiah, to take our place as grafted-in members of the commonwealth of Israel, and to celebrate the Moedim, God’s appointed times, the Feasts of The Lord as kept by the Jews.¹

Here would be a new foundation for their existing ministry, one which would make the ministry stronger and enable Jewish people to come for healing and deliverance. The whole ministry team was taught about the errors of Replacement Theology, and came to repentance and a new understanding. With the leadership now in agreement, this was then shared with the whole congregation (available on CD from Sozo).

Provision for a New Building

Alongside this spiritual transformation and enlargement came the need for something more in the physical realm – a new and bigger building. To understand this part of the story it is necessary to go back in time.

From the outset, the ministry team had realised that it was important to always be debt-free. Whatever they required had to be affordable and paid for from the start. Trusting God for money and provision was the key to this.

As the ministry grew and developed during the 1980s the need for their own property became apparent. It was not enough just to hire the school at Romsey for bigger meetings. At first the solution was mobile homes and then a small rented office, all the while saving up for whatever the next opportunity would be. This turned out to be the chance around 1999 to buy part of an old pub, just one third of it, but enough to call their own. The school was still used for bigger meetings, but Sozo House was born!

From the outset, the ministry team had realised that it was important to always be debt-free.

Eventually this proved too small for their needs and once the opportunity arose to buy the rest of the pub they again sought God and the funds came in right on time. But the vision was still for more.

In 2013 the chance arose to buy Dunwood Manor Golf Club for the bargain price of £225,000. This not only offered just what was needed at the time in terms of offices and small meeting rooms but also had potential for further development in the future. As the money was already there, they bought it immediately and applied for change of use. Then a problem was discovered.

Also on the site were two residential bungalows, the owners of which could object to the application and block the necessary change of use. The only solution was to buy these also, but at normal residential sale prices, money which they simply did not have. But suddenly and unexpectedly, they received a legacy from someone who had been a supporter in the past but, due to advanced years, had not been in contact recently. However, she had not forgotten them, and nor had God! With the bungalows now part of the property everything could go ahead as planned and Dunwood Oaks became the new centre for Sozo Ministries International.

New Venue Now Open!

However, this was by no means the end. The original purchase of Dunwood Manor Golf Club site included a separate locker room with showers, something of great importance to golfers but no use to Sozo! But here was the further potential that the site offered: the chance to turn this into a large main meeting place and conference centre, making it no longer necessary to hire the school in Romsey. In fact, the best option financially and practically ended up being not to restore it as a separate building but to demolish, build new and join it on to the existing two buildings as an annexe.

Dunwood Oaks is now a major centre for healing and deliverance, and for Hebraic renewal.

The initial quote for this new build left enough money over from the legacy - even after the purchase of the two bungalows - that they could begin to finance this, starting with the dry shell. Faith and prayers would provide the rest. Inevitably, final costs exceeded the original quote but when a further £100,000 was needed this was raised in 8 weeks. Then continued generous giving after this came in to enable the final building to be upgraded and improved. The building was completed on time and opened early in January 2017.

As well as being the new venue for the Sunday meetings, up to 300 people can gather for conferences and to celebrate the feasts. Dunwood Oaks is now a major teaching and resource centre not just for healing and deliverance, but also for Hebraic renewal and the teaching of Jewish roots.

And to think it all started with a car accident!

References

1 Hebraic Renewal. Sozo Ministries International.

N.B. Marion Daniel and Sozo Ministries International are in no way affiliated to Bethel Sozo or the International Bethel Sozo Organization.